It’s always an exciting time when the Fletcher/Maynard Academy (FMA) second graders and their Genzyme Reading Buddies get together for the closing pizza party in celebration of a full year of reading books together. This year’s celebration was no exception. Students and “buddies” marked the end of their two-term partnership, begun while the students were in first grade, with lunch and a gift book for each second grader.
Throughout the FMA gym, student and adult pairs were happily engaged in conversation and book sharing. The gift books, funded by Genzyme, a Sanofi Company, and presented to each student, were one of the highlights of the program, now in its 13th year and managed by CSV. Genzyme “buddies” came to the FMA during their lunch hour every other week for the 2012 spring and fall semesters, reading and sharing books. CSV sponsors the read-aloud program based on strong research that supports the value of adults reading to young children.
CSV appreciates the energy and dedication of all of its Genzyme Reading Buddies volunteers, and also thanks Susan Young, Early Literacy Interventionist and Reading Recovery teacher at the FMA. It is always hard for students to say goodbye, but we know that the program gave them each the invaluable gift of fourteen total hours of one-to-one read-aloud time with their Buddy. We look forward to the next crop of FMA first graders who will start the program in February!
